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The City of Love

Tbilisi architecture

Tbilisi has one of the world's most unique alphabets — the Georgian script (Mkhedruli) was created specifically for the Georgian language in the 5th century and has no relationship to any other writing system. The city's Old Town is a maze of wooden balconied houses, Persian-influenced bathhouses, and medieval churches clustered on the Mtkvari River gorge, overlooked by the Narikala fortress. Georgia is one of the oldest wine-producing countries on Earth, with an 8,000-year winemaking tradition using the traditional qvevri clay vessel method, now a UNESCO Intangible Heritage.

  • 5Landmarks
  • 350Oldest · Narikala Fortress
  • 87 mTallest · Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi
  • 1Architects

Before you go

  • Fly intoTbilisi International Airport (TBS)

    Tbilisi International Airport has grown rapidly in line with Georgia's emergence as one of the world's most exciting travel destinations. The airport is located about 18km from the city center, with taxi and minibus services providing the main connections. The terminal has been modernized and expanded, and several new airlines have added routes as Georgia's reputation in the wine, food, and adventure tourism sectors has grown.

  • CurrencyGeorgian Lari (₾)
  • LanguageGeorgian

    Georgian (Kartuli) is the official language and is one of the world's oldest literary languages — the first Georgian text dates to the 5th century. Georgian belongs to its own language family (Kartvelian) completely unrelated to Indo-European or Semitic languages. The Georgian alphabet, with its distinctive curvilinear script, is one of the world's 14 scripts considered uniquely invented rather than derived. English is rapidly growing as a second language, especially among Tbilisi's young, outward-looking population.

  • Getting aroundTbilisi Metro & Marshrutka

    Tbilisi's metro has two lines connecting the major city districts and is inexpensive and efficient. The Metromoney card covers the metro and city buses. Marshrutkas (private minibuses) fill in where the metro doesn't reach and are the primary transport for many residents. The famous sulfur bath district (Abanotubani), carved into the hillside, is best reached by cable car for the best views. Taxis are cheap and Bolt (ride-hailing) operates widely.

5 landmarks in Tbilisi

  1. Narikala Fortress
    Photo: Alexxx1979, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Narikala Fortress

    Narikala Fortress, Abanotubani district, Tbilisi, Georgia

    An ancient fortress complex overlooking the old city of Tbilisi, with the lower section dating to the 4th century AD when the Persian Sassanid Empire built it to control the Mtkvari River gorge. Visitors can reach it by cable car from Rike Park or hike through the sulfur bath district.

    Built
    350
    Style
    Medieval fortification
    Height
    20 m (66 ft)
    Stories
    3
    Today
    Heritage ruins & viewpoint
  2. Metekhi Church
    Photo: Alexxx1979, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Metekhi Church

    Metekhi Rise, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia

    A cliff-top Georgian Orthodox church built in the 13th century on the site where the city's martyred founding queen, St. Shushanik, was buried in the 5th century. It overlooks a dramatic bend in the Mtkvari River and is one of Tbilisi's most photographed landmarks.

    Built
    1278
    Style
    Medieval Georgian Orthodox
    Height
    15 m (49 ft)
    Stories
    1
    Today
    Active Georgian Orthodox church

  3. Georgian National Museum

    3 Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia

    The main history museum of Georgia, housed in an elegant 1929 neoclassical building, containing the famous Treasury — a collection of extraordinary gold jewelry and artifacts spanning 5,000 years of Georgian and South Caucasian civilization.

    Built
    1929
    Style
    Neoclassical
    Height
    12 m (39 ft)
    Stories
    3
    Today
    National history museum
  4. Tbilisi Botanical Garden
    Photo: dare, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Tbilisi Botanical Garden

    1 Botanikuri St, Tbilisi 0105, Georgia

    One of the oldest botanical gardens in the Caucasus region, established in the 17th century on the slopes of the Sololaki ridge behind the old city. Its 128 hectares contain over 4,500 plant species and a spectacular waterfall fed by the Tsavkisistskali River.

    Built
    1650
    Style
    Natural landscape garden
    Stories
    1
    Today
    Public botanical garden

  5. Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi

    1 Ilia Chavchavadze Lane, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia

    Known as Sameba (Trinity), this vast Georgian Orthodox cathedral completed in 2004 is the largest cathedral in the Caucasus and the spiritual center of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Its golden dome rises 87 metres above the city.

    Built
    2004
    Architect
    Archil Mindiashvili
    Style
    Georgian Orthodox medieval revival
    Height
    87 m (285 ft)
    Stories
    3
    Today
    Active Georgian Orthodox cathedral

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